Cardiac truss.



UNITED STATES Patented November 22, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

CARDIAC TRUSS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 775,342, dated November 22, 1904.

Application filed December 8, 1903. Serial No. 184,324. (No model.)

To all whom, it ntl/U Pon/cern..o

Be it known that LERNs'r ABE, a subject of the Grand Duke of Hesse, residing' at Bad- Nauheim, in the Grand Duchy of Hesse, in the German Empire,have invented new and useful Improvements in Cardiac Trusses, of which the following' is a specification.

Cardiac trusses are already known by means of which pressing' and lifting action can be exerted at both sides of the body on the soft parts below the arch of the ribs for the purpose of raising' the heart and g'iving' it a favorable position. For this purpose a g'irdle, belt, or the like has been provided with cushions or pads extending' upward at an angle to each other and adapted to bear ag'ainst the body below the arch of the ribs, being pressed to the same in suitable manner by means of the girdle. Such pads have hitherto been immovably secured to the girdle-that is to say, girdle and pads form, as it were, a sing'le object or whole.

According' to my invention I perfect this kind of cardiac truss by providing pads shaped to tit the arch of the ribs and capable of adjustment on the girdle, so that they may beset as required at whatever angle is formed by the ribs below which the pads are applied. In this manner the truss can be employed by very stout and by thinner persons alike.

One form of construction of the new truss is shown in the accompanying drawings, in whichw Figure l is a view showing more especially the inside of the appliance. Fig. 2 is a view showing' the outside of the central portion of the same. Fig'. 3 is a detail View, drawn to a larger scale, illustrating' a method by which the pads may be secured to the girdle. Fig. 4 illustrates, on a small scale, the method of applying' the truss to the body.

In the form of construction here illustrated the pads L are arranged separately from each other and each provided with a flexible pipe d with cock a, so that they may be distended,

and are secured to thc belt u by snap buttonfasteners. The fasteners /t serve to attach thc upper straight end of the pads, while the fasteners r2' provide for adjustable attachment of the pad turning' on /t as a pivot. (See dotted lines, Fig. 1.) By means of this truss not only can the thorax be lifted and supported, but pressure can also be exerted from below upon the diaphragm if the pad is adjusted at as large an angle as possible and then the entire truss strapped on correspondingly lower. A further advantage is that the left-hand pad can be applied alone, if desired, the right-hand one being' simply removed. This is frequently very desirablefor instance, in cases of emphysema, in which, owing to enlargement of the liver. the pressure of the right-hand pad is painful for the patient.

On the outside of the girdle, preferably somewhat below the upper edge of the central portion, two straps m ln, and buckles o p may be provided. By adjusting' the ends of the straps in the buckles to suit each particular case the upper or lower edge of the pad can then be pressed more or less firmly to the body.

Having' thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isw

In combination, a girdle, an elongated pad, a snap button-fastener connecting' one end of said pad and girdle, and a socket on thc other end of the pad adapted to eng'age any one of a plurality of snap button-fasteners on the girdle concentric with the fastener at the first-named end of the pad, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto sig'ncd my name, this 21st day of November, 1903, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EENs'r AEEE.

Witnesses:

O'r'ro HoHENENIsER, ERNST A n 1?: n. 

